ŌSUMI YUKIE (1945-) Moon Palace Incense Box Heisei era (1989-2019), 2020Property of various ownersŌSUMI YUKIE (1945-)Moon Palace Incense Box Heisei era (1989-2019), 2020The hammered-up silver box and lid in the form of a clam shell, the top of the lid partially scored and overlaid with gold and lead in nunome zōgan technique with a hare running across the moon, clouds, a rocky island, and waves, the base signed Yuki with stamped mark Jungin (pure silver)Wood tomobako storage box inscribed and signed Nanryō hamaguri kōgō Gekkyū Yukie saku (Refined silver clam-shaped incense box "Moon Palace," made by Yukie) and sealed Yuki 2 x 3 1/8 x 3 3/8in(5.1 x 7.9 x 8.6cm)The first woman metalworker to be honored as a Living National Treasure, Ōsumi Yukie builds her vessel forms using an arduous hammering process, then beats metal leaf into a fine grid incised into their surfaces. Here, she offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the much-loved East Asian legend of the rabbit or hare that lives on the moon.